Deck 1: An Introduction to the Science of Life

Question 1

If you were to combine all of the ecosystems on the planet,you would have the ________.

A) ionosphere
B) troposphere
C) biosphere
D) envirosphere

Answer 1

C

Question 2

How is life defined?

A) The only requirement for life is the ability to reproduce.
B) Life is defined through a set of shared characteristics that all living things display.
C) A living thing must be able to move.
D) Life is determined by neural activity.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A recent commercial advertised for a wristband that claimed to restore health and balance by taking advantage of natural frequencies of your biofield.It supports its claim by showing several people first struggling to balance without the wristband and then balancing fine with the wristband.Why should you be skeptical of the claims made in this ad?

A) Health cannot be tested via the scientific method.
B) You cannot believe anything you see on television.
C) The study was too objective.
D) It was not a controlled experiment.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Skin is sometimes referred to as the largest organ of the body.Why is skin considered to be an organ and not a tissue or some other structure?

A) Skin consists of multiple cell types functioning as a single integrated unit.
B) Skin consists of multiple tissue types that cooperate to perform a specific task.
C) Skin is a vital component of multiple organ systems.
D) Skin consists of a single cell type.

Question 5

Is a virus alive?

A) Yes, it possesses all of the requirements for life.
B) Yes, it possesses enough of the requirements for life to be considered living.
C) No, it does not possess all of the requirements for life.
D) No, it does not possess any of the requirements for life.

Question 6

What is typically the first step in the scientific method?

A) Experiment
B) Hypothesis
C) Prediction
D) Observation

Question 7

The scientific method ________.

A) is a rigid methodology that must be precisely followed to ensure validity
B) is a rough recipe for answering questions, but the steps need not be performed in the same order as outlined
C) is undertaken only by trained scientists in a controlled laboratory setting
D) is the means by which absolute truth can be uncovered

Question 8

The statement,"There are 628 squirrels living on campus," describes the ________ of squirrels on campus.

A) species
B) community
C) population
D) ecosystem

Question 9

Which property or properties of life does a virus possess?

A) A virus has order.
B) A virus has cells.
C) A virus can reproduce on its own.
D) All of the above are properties that a virus possesses.

Question 10

What should one do if the results of an experiment consistently do not support the original hypothesis?

A) Change the hypothesis to match the results.
B) Change the results to match the hypothesis.
C) Accept the original hypothesis.
D) Reject the original hypothesis and formulate a new hypothesis.

Question 11

Which of the following is the correct organizational hierarchy,from largest to smallest,in the hierarchical order of life? (Some levels have been omitted,so you are looking for the correct order.)

A) Community → Ecosystem → Population → Tissue → Organ → Cell → Organelle → Atom
B) Ecosystem → Community → Population → Organ → Tissue → Cell → Molecule → Atom
C) Biosphere → Community → Population → Tissue → Organ → Cell → Atom → Molecule
D) Ecosystem → Population → Community → Organ system → Organ → Cell → Molecule → Atom

Question 12

What is the smallest unit of life?

A) An atom
B) A molecule
C) A cell
D) An organism

Question 13

A population consists of ________.

A) living and nonliving components
B) interacting populations
C) a group of interacting individuals of one species
D) a group of interacting individuals from different species

Question 14

If you were to evaluate these claims using the scientific method,what would be the first step?

A) Conduct an experiment.
B) Gather testimonials.
C) Develop a hypothesis.
D) Evaluate the results.

Question 15

Certain parasites,such as intestinal tapeworms,cannot survive outside of the host.Why are they still considered alive?

A) Survival outside of a host is not a requirement for life.
B) They are still considered alive because they are studied by biologists, and biology is the study of life.
C) As long as they are made of cells, they are considered to be alive.
D) Because they cannot survive outside of the host, parasites are not considered alive.

Question 16

Which of the following would be the strongest evidence for or against the necklace's effectiveness?

A) A bar graph comparing the percentage of players who do with the percentage of players who do not wear the necklace
B) A scatter plot showing days on the disabled list and percentage of players who do or do not wear the necklace
C) A bar graph illustrating the satisfaction levels of the players who wear the necklace
D) A bar graph comparing batting averages of the players who wear the official titanium necklace and those who were unknowingly wearing a fake titanium necklace

Question 17

Fire can move,grow,reproduce,use energy,consume oxygen,and interact with its environment.Why is it not alive?

A) It does not have cells.
B) It does not consist of complex, well-ordered structures.
C) It does not pass on genes for traits to its offspring.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 18

Gathering information just to add to the knowledge base,such as measuring the beak length of various bird species,is known as ________.

A) discovery science
B) applied science
C) hypothesis-driven science
D) investigative science

Question 19

Beginning with an atom and working up to the entire planet,biologists view life as arranged from ________.

A) small and simple to large and complex
B) small and complex to large and simple
C) large and complex to large and simple
D) large and complex to small and simple

Question 20

A college campus - including the students,birds,trees,sidewalks,and air - makes up one complete ________.

A) community
B) ecosystem
C) population
D) organism

Question 21

What is the difference between a primary and a secondary source?

A) A primary source is the original material published by the scientists, whereas a secondary source is a description of the original material.
B) A primary source is the raw data before scientists publish, whereas a secondary source is a description of the original material.
C) A primary source is the original material published by the scientists, whereas a secondary source is the raw data before scientists publish.
D) There is no difference between primary and secondary sources.

Question 22

You decide to test the effects of Echinacea on 100 people who are experiencing similar cold symptoms.Which of the following groups would represent an appropriate control in your experiment?

A) One healthy person given Echinacea tablets
B) One sick person given Echinacea tablets
C) 100 healthy people given tablets similar to Echinacea but with no herb
D) 100 sick people given tablets similar to Echinacea but with no herb

Question 23

A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect the natural world,based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observations and experiments,is referred to as a(n)________.

A) idea
B) hypothesis
C) theory
D) fact

Question 24

A controlled experiment is one in which ________.

A) there are at least two groups, one differing from the other by two or more variables
B) the experiment is repeated many times to ensure that the results are accurate
C) the experiment proceeds at a slow pace to guarantee that the scientist can carefully observe all reactions and process all experimental data
D) there are at least two groups, one of which does not receive the experimental treatment

Question 25

Which of the following statements cannot be tested by science?

A) Male lions sleep 20 hours a day.
B) Male lions have brown manes.
C) It is wrong that male lions kill baby lions when taking over a new pride.
D) All statements can be tested by science.

Question 26

What does the term theory mean to a scientist?

A) A guess
B) A proposed explanation for an observed phenomenon
C) A hypothesis that has been supported by the evidence of an experiment
D) A broad hypothesis that has been supported by a large number of experiments

Question 27

Which of the following represents a double-blind study?

A) The test group knows whether they are receiving a placebo or the actual treatment, and so do the researchers.
B) The test group does not know whether they are receiving a placebo or the actual treatment, but the researchers do.
C) The test group knows whether they are receiving a placebo or the actual treatment, but the researchers do not know until all the data are collected.
D) Neither the test group nor the researchers know whether the test group is receiving a placebo or the actual treatment until all the data are collected.

Question 28

What is misleading about commercials that show "scientific proof" that laundry detergent X is better than another leading brand?

A) We are shown only one tee-shirt becoming whiter in each detergent, not 20 tee-shirts in each detergent.
B) We do not know whether the same amount of each detergent was used for washing.
C) We do not know if everything besides the detergents was the same (machine used, type of stains, etc.).
D) All of the above are aspects that are misleading.

Question 29

You conduct the experiment and gather the data presented in the figure below.Given the results,you can say that ________.

A) your theory is proven
B) your theory is disproven
C) your hypothesis is not supported
D) your hypothesis is supported

Question 30

Which variable is the dependent variable?

A) Temperature
B) Yield
C) Fertilizer amount
D) Plant size

Question 31

Which variable is the independent variable?

A) Temperature
B) Yield
C) Fertilizer amount
D) Plant size

Question 32

Which of the following represents a blind study?

A) The test group knows whether they are receiving a placebo or the actual treatment, and so do the researchers.
B) The test group does not know whether they are receiving a placebo or the actual treatment, but the researchers do.
C) The test group knows whether they are receiving a placebo or the actual treatment, but the researchers do not know until all the data are collected.
D) Neither the test group nor the researchers know whether the test group is receiving a placebo or the actual treatment until all the data are collected.

Question 33

Many medical studies include a control group in which patients receive a medically ineffective treatment that resembles the treatment tested.What do we call the ineffective treatment?

A) The placebo
B) The dependent variable
C) The controlled experiment
D) The hypothesis

Question 34

If you give 100 sick people tablets similar to Echinacea but with no herb,what kind of control would this be?

A) A positive control
B) A negative control
C) A blind control
D) A double-blind control

Question 35

Many medical studies show that patients who receive a treatment feel better even if the treatment was an ineffective sugar pill.What is this phenomenon called?

A) The control group
B) The placebo effect
C) The fake effect
D) The blind effect

Question 36

Your statement,"If taken at the beginning of a cold,Echinacea will reduce cold symptoms," is called a(n)________.

A) observation
B) hypothesis
C) conclusion
D) theory

Question 37

Based on the table above,which type of cookie was the heaviest?

A) Cookies with the most fat
B) Cookies with intermediate amount of fat
C) Cookies with the least fat
D) The amount of fat did not affect the weight of cookies

Question 38

What does it mean when we say,"This scientific study was published in a peer-reviewed journal"?

A) This study can now be viewed on the Internet.
B) This study was published in a newspaper.
C) This study was evaluated by qualified and impartial experts before being published.
D) This study was not evaluated by other scientists.

Question 39

Is the study presented above a controlled experiment?

A) Yes, because only the amount of fertilizer was changed, everything else was kept the same.
B) Yes, because many pots were used.
C) No, because the experiment was done only once.
D) No, because several different amounts of fertilizers were used, not just one amount.

Question 40

You want to know whether cookies made with unbleached flour taste better than cookies made with bleached flour; which of the following has the strongest experimental design to test this question?

A) Make two batches of cookies, both with bleached flour; one taster tries both types and ranks which type he likes best.
B) Make two batches of cookies, one with bleached flour and one with unbleached flour; one taster tries both types and ranks which type he likes best.
C) Make two batches of cookies, one with bleached flour and one with unbleached flour; twenty tasters try both types and rank which type they like best.
D) Make two batches of cookies, one with bleached flour and one with unbleached flour; twenty tasters try both types without knowing which ones they are eating and rank which type they like best.

Question 41

Name at least three organs that are part of your digestive system.Explain why the organs you chose are in fact organs and not something else.Describe their role in the digestive system.

Question 42

The scientific method has limitations.It can only answer objective questions based on quantitative facts from observable,measurable,and repeatable experiments.It cannot answer subjective questions based on qualitative beliefs or opinions such as the presence of deities and ghosts or who makes the best doughnut.Could the scientific method theoretically be used to answer the question,"Does throwing a virgin into a volcano prevent it from erupting?" Support your answer.

Question 43

Based on the table above,which of the following statements is correct?

A) The amount of fat and sugar in cookies affects not only the cookies' weight and size but also their moisture.
B) The amount of fat, but not of sugar, in cookies affects not only the cookies' weight and size but also their moisture.
C) The amount of sugar, but not of fat, in cookies affects not only the cookies' weight and size but also their moisture.
D) Fat and sugar do not affect the cookies' weight, size, and moisture.

Question 44

Based on the table above,which cookies were the moistest?

A) Cookies with the most fat
B) Cookies with intermediate amount of fat
C) Cookies with the least fat
D) All cookies had the same moisture

Question 45

Based on the table above,which of the following statements is not correct?

A) Cookies with the most fat were the cookies that were not only the flattest but also the largest in diameter.
B) Cookies with the most fat were the cookies that were not only the flattest but also the driest.
C) Cookies with the most fat were the cookies that were not only the thickest but also the largest in diameter.
D) Cookies with the least fat were not only the heaviest but also the thickest cookies.

Question 46

To obtain large,flat cookies,one should use more fat in a recipe.

Question 47

Regardless of the amount of fat contained in cookies,the most common cell size in a cookie was ________.

A) very large (larger than 1,500 μm)
B) very small (smaller than 100 μm)
C) between 280 and 500 μm
D) between 1,000 and 15,000 μm

Question 48

The amount of fat does not affect the frequency of the size of cells found in cookies.

Question 49

What type of graph is this?

A) A bar graph
B) A pie chart
C) A scatter plot
D) A table

Question 50

What is the unifying or "core" theme of biology?

A) Evolution
B) Energy transfer
C) Nutrient recycling
D) Hierarchical organization

Question 51

The cookies with the least amount of fat had more cells around 500 μm in size than did the cookies with the most amount of fat.